Florida: Abortion clinic is set on fire and vandalized

Sun-Sentinel ^ | May 30, 2003

[george wythe]

Broward County sheriff's detectives are investigating what could be the country's first arson attack on an abortion clinic this year, officials said.

Detectives could not say for sure that the arson fire and vandalism at Dr. Michael Benjamin's Tamarac office was the work of political or religious extremists, but the case was assigned to the department's elite Strategic Investigations Unit, which handles the largest and most complex investigations.

On Sunday morning, just past midnight, someone started a fire at Benjamin's office in the 7700 block of North University Drive by pouring a flammable liquid on the door and through the mail slot. The small fire burned itself out but caused smoke damage inside, said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Liz Calzadilla.

The same person or people used red paint to blot out Benjamin's name on two building directories and deface 10 parking spaces reserved for Benjamin's patients.

[LuisBasco]

...the country's first arson attack on an abortion clinic this year...

Horrors!

[AppyPappy]

Jewish lightning?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Another blow to the pro-life movement in terms of public opinion.

[George from New England]

Blow: yes, blame: not necessarily

Pro-lifer have little to gain from this act.

The pro-death camp has everything to gain. By the way it's their style. Death and destruction are both trademarks of satan.

[MineralMan]

Well, that'll do the pro-life movement a lot of good. Every time something like this happens, or someone kills a doctor or someone else, the pro-life movement takes it in the shorts.

Way to go, dudes.

[george wythe]

I tend to agree with you.

I'm not convinced it was a religious zealot yet; I need more evidence, such a pro-life suspect caught.

[wideawake]

Poor, poor "Dr." Benjamin.

I hope his hands weren't so shaky that he was prevented from murdering more innocent children in exchange for cash.

"Political or religious extremists." Hmmm. Good thing the police have it narrowed down so quickly. I'm sure there's no chance that a fine upstanding citizen like "Dr." Benjamin would ever commit insurance fraud. Tearing babies into shreds, yes - but nothing as horrible as insurance fraud.

I'm sure it's also impossible that the good "Dr." was targeted by the family of woman he may have accidentally sterilized or maimed. After all, abortionists never, ever commit malpractice or create any enemies other than those benighted "religious extremists."

[Mark]

These buildings should be designated as historical sites, like the death camps in Germany.

[jwalsh07]

Detectives could not say for sure that the arson fire and vandalism at Dr. Michael Benjamin's Tamarac office was the work of political or religious extremists, but the case was assigned to the department's elite Strategic Investigations Unit, which handles the largest and most complex investigations.

But you certainly have no such compunction to fire up the straw and prepare the gallows for the evil pro life community.

[kegler4]

Hmmm, can you cite any examples where it's been proven that anyone other than pro-lifers have been responsible for this type of thing? I know they've been responsible for all the shootings that have been solved.

[RightWhale]

Terrorism doesn't work.

[MineralMan]

"I'm not convinced it was a religious zealot yet; I need more evidence, such a pro-life suspect caught."

Well, a similar thing happened in my community, complete with the gasoline poured in the mail slot. They caught the arsonist...the pastor of a front-room church in his own home. He's doing 5-10, now.

Did the place stay closed? Even though it was burned to the ground? Nope. In fact, the publicity about the arson brought in enough money for them to build a brand new clinic.

I guess that did a lot of good for the pro-life movement.

Was it a pro-lifer who did this? I dunno, yet. My guess, though, is that it was.

[Frohickey]

Maybe so, but since we don't know who, pro-life/pro-choice did the dirty deed, we have to wait for the detectives to find out.

One thing is sure though, business/fire insurance premiums will be going up for abortion clinics. Maybe insurance companies are the ones that did it. ;)

[I_love_weather]

Babies revenge?

[jwalsh07]

ABORTION CLINIC OWNER, SUSPECTED ARSONIST, ADMITS FRAUD
By Paul Likoudis
The Wanderer
Thursday, December 3, 1998

Right in the middle of a coordinated media campaign to vilify America's pro-life citizens as bombers, arsonists, and murderers, a Miami businessman pleaded guilty Oct. 28th in federal court in Trenton, N.J., to committing insurance fraud and authorizing unsafe medical practices at an abortion facility he owned here.

Alan I. Weisberg, who will be sentenced on Jan. 29th, could face up to one year in jail and fines equal to double the amount for which he bilked five insurance companies and health maintenance organizations.

Weiselberg, who remains the prime suspect in the April 22nd, 1991 arson of his Woodbridge, N.J. clinic, which caused more than $500,000 worth of damage, was not charged with the arson because the statute of limitations on the blaze had expired.

As local writer Rick Malwitz observed in a Nov. 8th newspaper column: "There was never any evidence that linked the fire to anyone in the pro-life movement, according to persons involved in the investigation."

Nevertheless, the Woodbridge clinic was featured on a map of the United States depicting "anti-abortion violence" - clinic bombings, arsons, and shootings - printed in most mass-circulation magazines and newspapers. The map was provided by the University of Illinois and distributed via Associated Press in the aftermath of the slaying of Buffalo abortionist Barnett Slepian.

"However," continued Malwitz, "when investigators looked at the operation of the clinic, they found violations potentially more serious than an arson with no injuries." Agents from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, continued Malwitz, "discovered illegal medical procedures, including the reuse of instruments that were intended to be discarded after each abortion procedure."

When a pre-dawn fire destroyed the abortion facility, pro-abortion zealots in the state immediately blamed violent pro-lifers for the blaze.

The head of New Jersey Right to Choose screamed that it was the work of "religious zealots." "This is like Hitler." said an outraged clinic employee. And not to be outdone, New Jersey's then- Gov. Jim Florio announced, "None of us can be silent in the face of such purposeful violence."

---

Do I win anything?

[I_love_weather]

The sad part of this story

Quote "The small fire burned itself out"

[I_love_weather]

Quote ""Political or religious extremists." Hmmm. Good thing the police have it narrowed down so quickly. I'm sure there's no chance that a fine upstanding citizen like
"Dr." Benjamin would ever commit insurance fraud. Tearing babies into shreds, yes - but nothing as horrible as insurance fraud.
"

Hehe...yeah for sure!

[John Beresford Tipton]

"I'm not convinced it was a religious zealot yet"

You probably thought that the nut that shot Slepian was likewise innnocent.

[cgk]

Interesting. Insurance fraud and unsafe medical procedures... but it's blamed on pro-lifers.